Spotted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: "Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester packing on the PDA with her new artist beau Aaron Himelstein.

The actress, 26, and her boyfriend visited the famous Christ the Redeemer at the top of the Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park Friday -- a sure sign that their five-month relationship is headed in the right direction.

"He's been around for a while. She's been with him since at least November," a source tells Us Weekly. "He dotes on her. She definitely likes that in guys." A rep for Meester could not be reached for comment.

Meester, who split with beau of two years Sebastian Stan in 2010, hasn't always been so lucky in love. "I never had a boyfriend until I was 18. It's nice, I guess -- when you like them," she told Marie Claire in April. "But it isn't the most important thing."